[aben1975]

Haven't seen a posting on Graphene. This is the new generation to Ceramic that is supposed to be superior in two main ways by having a longer life (5-7 yrs) and better resistance to water spotting. I am not an expert detailer, just a DIY'r. I had done two higher mileage cars with Car Pro Cquartz. Along with paint correction, this was a great product and well worth the effort. My S60 done nearly 2 years ago looked great when i just sold it. I really liked the spray on topper (Reload) after every couple maintenance washes.

I am taking delivery of a new X5 Late September and am geared up to do a light polish and apply Ethos Graphene. One concerns i have with Graphene is the fact that they don't really have a specific maintenance topper. Ethos has a product called Defy that i hope will help with that, but it doesn't sound like it is as paired as the ceramic base and Sio2 toppers were.

Anyone use a graphene yet?

[themnmd]

Have not, have seen a few reviews on YouTube. Generally positive. I would like to see it in use before I switch from ceramic. Note you must remove any other coating including ceramics before use graphine. It is supposed to be less prone to water spotting than ceramic

[aben1975]

That's correct, it does have to be applied to clear coat. I'm in a good spot as i am applying to a new X5. Light polish first.

[aben1975]

I maybe more prepared for my X5 baby than i was for my 1st child. Read to roll

[aben1975]

last Friday I completed the first wash, light paint polish and graphene coating. The graphene went on very well. No major differences between ceramic and this graphene. A little slower flash time. Looks great, while polishing, the gloss after polish was pretty noticeable between panels that I had just polished and a factory panel. Definitely worth the effort. In Mineral white its not as easy in photo as a dark mirror finish but looks great. I did not have enough product to get the wheels coated so I will need to do a wheels off coating after getting another small bottle. Tires have Optimum Tire (2 coats)

[scotchy]

I'm having the Ethos Graphene Pro done to the car and wheels on Monday. Currently have about 13,000km on it, black sapphire. Paint is in pretty good condition to start but needs a bit of work.
Hoping it's as good as claimed!

[4ML INC]

Originally Posted by aben1975

last Friday I completed the first wash, light paint polish and graphene coating. The graphene went on very well. No major differences between ceramic and this graphene. A little slower flash time. Looks great, while polishing, the gloss after polish was pretty noticeable between panels that I had just polished and a factory panel. Definitely worth the effort. In Mineral white its not as easy in photo as a dark mirror finish but looks great. I did not have enough product to get the wheels coated so I will need to do a wheels off coating after getting another small bottle. Tires have Optimum Tire (2 coats)

Looks pretty good. I will soon be taking a delivery of Mineral White. I ordered Glassparency Graphene coating. Gonna do it on my own and see how it goes. Looks pretty straight forward. Have never done any detailing before - but on a brand new car - it seems relatively easy.

[GrussGott]

Originally Posted by 4ML INC

Looks pretty good. I will soon be taking a delivery of Mineral White. I ordered Glassparency Graphene coating. Gonna do it on my own and see how it goes. Looks pretty straight forward. Have never done any detailing before - but on a brand new car - it seems relatively easy.

If you've never done any detailing before I'd do a wash & wax a time or 2 first to get a sense of how to do it; I don't know about glassparency, but if you screw up a long-term coating usually the best way to fix it is polish it off and that's a real bummer. Since you have to do paint-prep anyway, adding a little extra effort to remove a wax should be a few grains of sand on the beach.

I'd go with the measure twice, cut once model.

[4ML INC]

Originally Posted by GrussGott

If you've never done any detailing before I'd do a wash & wax a time or 2 first to get a sense of how to do it; I don't know about glassparency, but if you screw up a long-term coating usually the best way to fix it is polish it off and that's a real bummer. Since you have to do paint-prep anyway, adding a little extra effort to remove a wax should be a few grains of sand on the beach.

I'd go with the measure twice, cut once model.

Watched a few videos on Youtube about this particular coating and it's gotten great reviews. Pan The Organizer gave it the best non-pro graphene rating and has used it on his gf's car. There were few other reviews who gave it very good reviews and tested it after a few months and it seemed to hold up pretty good. So, just going by that.

As far as detailing the car - I was thinking - since it's a brand new car and it's mineral white - I will inspect the paint and if it really doesn't need polishing - I'll just skip clay-ing and polishing. I already told the dealership to not prep or wash it and since it's coming straight from factory - hopefully it won't have a lot of days sitting in the sun and rain.

Plan is - to wash the car (first rinse-less + then use foam gun + 2 bucket wash) + chemical decontamination with iron remover + paint prep spray + apply 2 coatings and leave the car in my garage for 48 hours.

Of course - if I find the paint needs to be polished - then your idea sounds like a good way to go about it. Practice and get it right before applying a long term coating. I do have a friend who does wax coating on his cars - maybe I'll get him to help me but kind of want to do it on my own.

Am I wrong to skip the clay-ing and polishing if the paint looks to be in great condition?

[GrussGott]

Originally Posted by 4ML INC

Watched a few videos on Youtube about this particular coating and it's gotten great reviews. Pan The Organizer gave it the best non-pro graphene rating and has used it on his gf's car. There were few other reviews who gave it very good reviews and tested it after a few months and it seemed to hold up pretty good. So, just going by that.

As far as detailing the car - I was thinking - since it's a brand new car and it's mineral white - I will inspect the paint and if it really doesn't need polishing - I'll just skip clay-ing and polishing. I already told the dealership to not prep or wash it and since it's coming straight from factory - hopefully it won't have a lot of days sitting in the sun and rain.

Plan is - to wash the car (first rinse-less + then use foam gun + 2 bucket wash) + chemical decontamination with iron remover + paint prep spray + apply 2 coatings and leave the car in my garage for 48 hours.

Of course - if I find the paint needs to be polished - then your idea sounds like a good way to go about it. Practice and get it right before applying a long term coating. I do have a friend who does wax coating on his cars - maybe I'll get him to help me but kind of want to do it on my own.

Am I wrong to skip the clay-ing and polishing if the paint looks to be in great condition?

I gotta be honest - 95% of this sounds... not ideal Kinda hard to know where to start ... Maybe some principles:

* Pan is paid for his videos - doesn't mean his content is bad, just know he's paid to say what does, i.e., it's "ad-vertorial" content
For my 2 cents, I'd never use glassparency - no reason to try something so far off the beaten path when there's so many good alternatives. And you don't need "graphene". I'd pick a well known brand with well known customer support. McKee's 37 or P&S from The Rag Company (or gyeon or esoteric or or or). Also, like I said, I'd start with something a bit less permanent given a low experience level.

* Strip wash - chemical removal BEFORE a contact wash
The whole idea of strip wash is to get as much dirt as possible off before you touch the paint; you can't do a strip wash with pH neutral soap, so you'll need to use something harsher / more alkaline ... that's a whole can o' worms. Personally I use Superior Products Road Warrior or Pink Perfection.

* Decon - chemical removal BEFORE a contact wash
This is where you'd use your iron remover ... don't do that in the Sun ... or any of this frankly And you gotta wash your car after using an iron remover so I'd probably do it after a strip wash & before a contact wash. Thing is, it can stain your paint.

* Washing is to abrate off dirt while doing as little damage / marring as possible
Thus if you're going to foam cannon & rinse then do that FIRST. Also, there's no need to do a no-rinse wash and then a 2 bucket wash; only one of them is needed and if you're going to do a 2 bucket then just do that.

* Claying removes embedded particles due to heat cycles, i.e, expansion/contraction of your car while it has dirt on it
The odds a new car needs to be clayed is pretty small - to know, wash it, then use a rubber glove to feel the surface or your hand in a baggie or a credit card pulled over the surface. If you feel bumps then it needs claying, if not then no. Further, claying WILL MAR YOUR PAINT.
For my 2 cents, I'd never mar the paint of a new car unless I was planning on full polish and had the expertise & tools to do it. A good complete set of polishing equipment will be at least $2k. You can go cheaper but you'll get a crappier job. If you've never polished a car before you absolutely shouldn't be starting now. As to the inspection, especially on a white car ... well, unless you're a pro, it won't do anything for you.

* IPA I hesitate to mention this one, but a good IPA wipe down with 50/50 can be very helpful in totally cleaning the paint in prep for a coating.

Net-Net:
---------
based on what you've written you're 90% likely to cause more damage than you're fixing. Just telling you straight.

Take it slow & you'll win the race. Spray off the car, do a good strip wash & skip the decon, do a very careful one-direction-aligned-with-wind wash top to bottom ... meaning literally. Use one sponge for the hood, roof & windows, a 2nd for the doors & side panels, and then a 3rd for the bottom 1/3 of the car. lightly pull in one direction.

Dry off with a drying aide - if you don't, that's where 90% of your paint marring will come from. Use one. If you skipped everything else, this is the one most important thing!

If you use something like Turtle Wax's Flex Wax as your drying aide it'll be awesome and last for a good month or two. During that time you can do a few washes and see how it's going. When you have your process down pat, then put on a good ceramic after using something like Mckee 37 rinseless wash as a drying aide.

or not & just keep using TWFW or similar (meguire's flex wax is good too). There's really no reason for a ceramic unless you're lazy (meaning you need the long-term chemical protection because you don't wash/protect your car often)

[4ML INC]

Thanks for such a detailed response. I really appreciate that. I’ve a few questions if you don’t mind answering.

I was curious why to use strip wash on a new car that’s coming straight from factory. As I mentioned - the dealership is not to wash or prep the car - so it shouldn’t have any wax or sealants to be stripped.

I’m def. skipping claying and polishing.

So, if I understand it - your steps will be:

Foam cannon and rinse (with strip wash shampoo)
Then Iron remover (before hand wash)
Then 2 bucket hand wash (is this also with strip wash shampoo)
The IPA solution (paint prep)
Then use temporary coating like Turtle wax hybrid flex as my coating and drying aid and keep applying that once every month.

I do take care of my cars but sometimes work can be insane and then I like to spend whatever time I’ve left with my 18month old. Does the temporary coatings provide same kind of protection but for way shorter time? Is that the only real difference? Of course I’ll be washing my car at least once every 2-3 weeks minimum. Probably more after snow/rain but if it’s not too dirty - I plan to wash every 15-20 days regardless.


So far - these are the products I have purchased:

Koch-Chemie - pH Neutral Pre-cleaning/Foam Cannon shampoo - which I plan to use for my 2 bucket wash as well.
Griot's Garage Foam Cannon
McKee's 37 N-914 (this is for Rinseless wash - I will not do rinseless per your suggestion and just do 2 bucket wash - will use it in future washes)
Turtle Wax Hybrid Pro All Wheel Cleaner + Iron Remover (Planning to use it to clean my wheels - and then also use it as Iron remover)
Chemical Guys VRO for tire dressing
Invisible Glass Glass Cleaner Spray
Glassparency Graphene Coating with towels and 3 applicators (maybe I will send this back - and Turtle Wax Flex Wax as per your suggestion)

I also do have:
XTreme Topper - Top Coat (was planning to use it on top of the graphene coating as drying aid and protectant and give it more shine)

Have a tire and wheel brush
Chenille Premium Wash Mitts (3 of them)
Rag Company Guantlet Drying towel (15 x 24 in) (2 of them)
Rag Company Pearl Microfiger Towel (12 pack)
Rag Company Waffle Weave Towel (for glass) (3 pack)

For interior:
Sonax cleaner and conditioner for leather
Carpro Multi-X as APC

[GrussGott]

Originally Posted by 4ML INC

Thanks for such a detailed response. I really appreciate that. I’ve a few questions if you don’t mind answering.

I was curious why to use strip wash on a new car that’s coming straight from factory. As I mentioned - the dealership is not to wash or prep the car - so it shouldn’t have any wax or sealants to be stripped.

You have a good set of stuff! I think you might be surprised at how easy some of this is / can be unless you don't want it to be.

For example, IMO, there's zero need for a foam cannon - they don't do a lot and they're really only there for fun. I mean blasting foam onto your car IS super fun, but it can also be a lot of expense, it's kind of a mess, it does require a bunch of hassle, and ultimately all it's for is fun. Once you've done it a few times, at least for me, it's .

As an example, here's a process you could use that's ULTRA safe and quite effective, and also fast & easy IF YOU DO IT WEEKLY:

(1.) Spray off your car to remove loose dirt
Just a hose is fine or power sprayer if you have one / have it out
If your car is pretty clean you can skip this step

OPTIONAL for filth
If your car is super dirty OR been driven in rain for a few days, spray it down with 4:1 Road Warrior (super cheap, buy it at O'Reillys, but gotta order it). Panel by panel, spray on, let it dwell for 1-5 min, then spray off (don't let it dry). You can dilute up & down to adjust for dirt levels. I use a Marolex sprayer, but you could use an iK or a Kwazar double-action sprayer or just a home depot zep sprayer. BTW, if you use a Marolex foamer it's basically a foam cannon effect without the hassle. I don't need the foam so I usually just use the sprayer.

(2.) Blow your car dry
If you have a blower, use it now! If you want to be baller get an Ego battery-powered blower. The new 765 is coming out in a few weeks This will also help remove loose dirt, but mostly it's to blow the water out of all the nooks & crannies so it doesn't drip out later.

(3.) Rinseless Wash
Mix a double or triple strength McKee's 37 in 1/2 a bucket (ideally use de-ionized water from Whole Foods) & toss in your waffle weaves. Take one out, very light wring out so its still dripping, fold it in 4ths. Also fill a sprayer with the McKee's solution and spray a panel, then wash one panel at a time (lightly pull in a single direction, say right-to-left). You should be able to do 8 panels with each one (count the hood, tailgate, roof as 2 or 3 panels each).

(4.) Combo dry & coat
After you do one panel, take a dry TRC Pearl folded in 1/4s, give it a spray of TWFW, and wipe the panel, being careful to evenly coat and watching for "high spots". When you get those, use a damp TRC Pearl to smooth them out.

You'll be stunned at how clean, shiny, and slick your car is

I offer that purely as a way to safely, quickly & easily clean your whole car without having to get out lots of buckets, hoses, etc. That stuff can be fun, but it usually ends up being work and then you slow down on doing it regularly. If you take most of the hassle, tools, & time out of the process it stays easy & fun - just my 2 cents.
------------
Ok, why a strip wash on a new car?

Well, first, a strip wash is for any time: the alkaline soap will cut through dirt, dust, sap, pollen, rail dust, brake dust and anything else that got on your car *in the factory*, during transport, or sitting waiting for you to pick it up. By taking it off chemically, you don't run the risk having to abrate it off & marring your paint while you do it.

As for toppers and all that, I'd skip it if you're going to use a protective drying aide like TWFW (versus, say, Mckees 37 as a drying aide). Trust me when I say you'll be very happy with the gloss you get out of something like TWFW ... there's almost nothing that tests higher. The only way to get higher gloss is to have a pro do a full "paint enhancement" polish first and (a.) you don't want to do that too much, and (b.) you likely can't tell the difference. It's like deciding if a light bulb is 95w or 100w ... back to back you can tell if you really try but it's a small increment for a lot of money / work.

One tip with any LSP:
If you can, let them cure overnight in a garage. It'll enhance the gloss. And if you want to really ball it out w/ TWFW, wait 24 hours w/o driving it, then do another coat and let it sit overnight.

Also, you want to avoid polishing overall (or anything that triggers polishing like claying) - BMW paint gets thinner & thinner every year (including clear coat) and IMO most new cars only have 2 or 3 corrections max before they're risking burn-through so you want to use those sparingly.

If you follow the process above - or a similar one - you'll get great results for years with very little marring (esp on a white car!)

I'm not kidding when I say, if you follow the process above every few weeks, there will be times when you skip it simply because it looks way too blingy and you want the car a little dirty for a visit or something and you don't want to look like a baller.

[4ML INC]

^^^

That's good stuff. Thanks again. I think I will incorporate most (if not all) of that.

When you use strip wash soap - wouldn't it also remove the TWFW coating? And you apply TWFW after every wash as a drying aid + coating?

If I understand your process:

Strip Wash soap when car is dirty otherwise....just hose off...blow dry...rinseless wash with double/triple strength McKees N-914 in bucket and in sprayer and wash 1 panel at a time...then use TWFT as drying aid + coating?

That's awfully simple and doable every week or every other week.

I realized I do have strip wash soap as well - I have Koch Chemi Green Star as my concentrate APC - that I believe can also be used as Strip Wash soap with right dilutions ratios. What is your opinion on use GS as a strip wash?

Thank you.

[GrussGott]

Originally Posted by 4ML INC

If I understand your process:

What is your opinion on use GS as a strip wash?

That's the process! yeah it's pretty easy and if you're careful and never touch the paint without plenty of lubrication, you'll get very little marring. On my 2018 Tanz M4, even after 3 years it still looked great - you could seem some slight spiderwebs here & there, but not much at all for 3 years!

As for GS, yeah, I've always wanted to try it! I use Superior Products stuff (Road Warrior & Pink Perfection - haven't tried Dark Fury yet) just because it's so cheap and easy to get (O'Reilly's) and really is great stuff - it's basically like Koch-Chemie's Super Foam just way cheaper.

Here's a great video with a very similar process (yes wheels, but all steps/principles are the exact same for paint):

This talks about Superior stuff in stripping road film, the real enemy:

As for stripping the protection, maybe, maybe not The key is, I don't really care since I'm putting on new protection and I've discovered over time, for me, just don't overthink it: spray it, chem wash it, contact wash it, dry & protect it. If I keep that to as few steps as possible, then I can do a decent wash in 20 min and hardly any set up / tear down time.

Here's another 12 min version of a wash ... but he's got PPF & ceramic and he doesn't use the best process (too much high-end stuff) but it's in the same ballpark:

Swap out the pressure washer & foam cannon for a Marolex or iK sprayer like Anthony uses and you can do the same thing for < $50

[214ryan]

Originally Posted by GrussGott

You have a good set of stuff! I think you might be surprised at how easy some of this is / can be unless you don't want it to be.

For example, IMO, there's zero need for a foam cannon - they don't do a lot and they're really only there for fun. I mean blasting foam onto your car IS super fun, but it can also be a lot of expense, it's kind of a mess, it does require a bunch of hassle, and ultimately all it's for is fun. Once you've done it a few times, at least for me, it's .

As an example, here's a process you could use that's ULTRA safe and quite effective, and also fast & easy IF YOU DO IT WEEKLY:

(1.) Spray off your car to remove loose dirt
Just a hose is fine or power sprayer if you have one / have it out
If your car is pretty clean you can skip this step

OPTIONAL for filth
If your car is super dirty OR been driven in rain for a few days, spray it down with 4:1 Road Warrior (super cheap, buy it at O'Reillys, but gotta order it). Panel by panel, spray on, let it dwell for 1-5 min, then spray off (don't let it dry). You can dilute up & down to adjust for dirt levels. I use a Marolex sprayer, but you could use an iK or a Kwazar double-action sprayer or just a home depot zep sprayer. BTW, if you use a Marolex foamer it's basically a foam cannon effect without the hassle. I don't need the foam so I usually just use the sprayer.

(2.) Blow your car dry
If you have a blower, use it now! If you want to be baller get an Ego battery-powered blower. The new 765 is coming out in a few weeks This will also help remove loose dirt, but mostly it's to blow the water out of all the nooks & crannies so it doesn't drip out later.

(3.) Rinseless Wash
Mix a double or triple strength McKee's 37 in 1/2 a bucket (ideally use de-ionized water from Whole Foods) & toss in your waffle weaves. Take one out, very light wring out so its still dripping, fold it in 4ths. Also fill a sprayer with the McKee's solution and spray a panel, then wash one panel at a time (lightly pull in a single direction, say right-to-left). You should be able to do 8 panels with each one (count the hood, tailgate, roof as 2 or 3 panels each).

(4.) Combo dry & coat
After you do one panel, take a dry TRC Pearl folded in 1/4s, give it a spray of TWFW, and wipe the panel, being careful to evenly coat and watching for "high spots". When you get those, use a damp TRC Pearl to smooth them out.

You'll be stunned at how clean, shiny, and slick your car is

I offer that purely as a way to safely, quickly & easily clean your whole car without having to get out lots of buckets, hoses, etc. That stuff can be fun, but it usually ends up being work and then you slow down on doing it regularly. If you take most of the hassle, tools, & time out of the process it stays easy & fun - just my 2 cents.
------------
Ok, why a strip wash on a new car?

Well, first, a strip wash is for any time: the alkaline soap will cut through dirt, dust, sap, pollen, rail dust, brake dust and anything else that got on your car *in the factory*, during transport, or sitting waiting for you to pick it up. By taking it off chemically, you don't run the risk having to abrate it off & marring your paint while you do it.

As for toppers and all that, I'd skip it if you're going to use a protective drying aide like TWFW (versus, say, Mckees 37 as a drying aide). Trust me when I say you'll be very happy with the gloss you get out of something like TWFW ... there's almost nothing that tests higher. The only way to get higher gloss is to have a pro do a full "paint enhancement" polish first and (a.) you don't want to do that too much, and (b.) you likely can't tell the difference. It's like deciding if a light bulb is 95w or 100w ... back to back you can tell if you really try but it's a small increment for a lot of money / work.

One tip with any LSP:
If you can, let them cure overnight in a garage. It'll enhance the gloss. And if you want to really ball it out w/ TWFW, wait 24 hours w/o driving it, then do another coat and let it sit overnight.

Also, you want to avoid polishing overall (or anything that triggers polishing like claying) - BMW paint gets thinner & thinner every year (including clear coat) and IMO most new cars only have 2 or 3 corrections max before they're risking burn-through so you want to use those sparingly.

If you follow the process above - or a similar one - you'll get great results for years with very little marring (esp on a white car!)

I'm not kidding when I say, if you follow the process above every few weeks, there will be times when you skip it simply because it looks way too blingy and you want the car a little dirty for a visit or something and you don't want to look like a baller.

This is badass, like most of your washing posts, but I'm a n00b to nice cars and want to make sure I get the process and products right before getting my 40i on Friday. I'm an idiot but follow directions pretty well.

Products/equipment:
Regular house hose/sprayer
Road Warrior
Marolex sprayer x2 (like this one?)
McKee's 37 Rinseless Wash
Pearl Microfiber
Gallon buckets
De-ionized water

Process:
1. Spray car down with regular hose

1a (optional when really dirty or monthly). Spray panel with Road Warrior at 4water:1RW using first Marolex. Wait 1-5min then spray that panel off with hose. Move to next panel and repeat.

2. Blow car dry with leaf blower I never use for yard work.

3. Fill bucket half full with McKee's ratio and put in waffle weaves
Fill second Marolex with same McKee's ratio
Spray panel with McKee's
Wash in one direction with waffle weaves
Take dry Pearl microfiber in 1/4 and spray with TWFW
Wipe panel evenly
Move to next panel and repeat

Questions:
1. How do I know if I need a foamer instead of a sprayer Marolex?
2. Is double or triple strength McKee's just 2x or 3x the recommended ratio on jug? (If it says 2McKees:1water, go with 4:1 or 6:1)
3. What is the best waffle weave to buy?
4. What is TWFW? I googled everything I could think of.

Thanks for the guidance!

[GrussGott]

Originally Posted by 214ryan

Questions:
1. How do I know if I need a foamer instead of a sprayer Marolex?
2. Is double or triple strength McKee's just 2x or 3x the recommended ratio on jug? (If it says 2McKees:1water, go with 4:1 or 6:1)
3. What is the best waffle weave to buy?
4. What is TWFW? I googled everything I could think of.

Thanks for the guidance!

You got it! A few quick notes ...

* You can adjust the dilution of RW
So 1:10 if you want a light road film removal, up to 1:4 if you spent the week in rainy muck.

* Get Pink Perfection too
As long as you're making an order from O'Reilly's, you might as well get Pink Perfection too, and maybe even green-all as an APC. PP works great for bugs (they also have BugzBgone) & is more of a foamy shampoo, though you don't have to foam it. Without going into the details, different products have different chemicals to clean different things and so many specialize in just a few things; PP covers a broad spectrum AND has a sufactant, i.e., foaming soap. RW is a great road film remover, but if you also have bugs or harder to remove things like tar, then PP will usually do a good job with that tougher stuff. If you have some real tough tar, then you'll need to spot treat with citrol which also works great for really tough bug removal.

* Use a protectant when you dry
Mckee's makes a RW w/ wax which is a great all-in-one or you can use their hydro formulas which are literally spray on rinse off. I like turtle wax flex wax (TWFW) which does take more time but it gives me a little quality time on each panel. Just remember as you're drying the RW to check for bugs & tar and remove that before you put on the TWFW. You wouldn't want to protect over bugs! they'll be harder remove later. The way I use TWFW is after washing the panel with Mckees, when it's still wet, I spray some TWFW onto an applicator sponge or lightly damp MF and then apply. I fully buff dry with a dry MF & if you get any high spots you can fix with a damp MF which I keep hanging from a pocket. Each panel takes a bit more time, but damn do I love the slickness & gloss I get from TWFW. If you can then let it sit overnight it'll get even glossier and if you really want to ball it out, apply a 2nd coat in the morning (or ideally after 24 hours) and let it sit at least another 8 hours. If nothing else, if you can do that for the nose & mirrors where you're likely to get bugs, it makes them pretty easy to remove.

Your Questions:

(1.) good question ... I have both but honestly I only use the sprayers and only use the foamer if I want a little fun. Personally I don't find much value in foamers. For example you can put brake buster in a foamer at 10:1 and it foams great! but ... why? I usually just spray it on full strength or diluted up to 4:1 - that's my go-to wheel & tire cleaner. So I guess the answer is, I'd stick with the sprayers to start and add in a foamer if you get the itch for foam.

(2.) YUP!

(3.) Long answer here ... and it really comes down to preference which you don't know until you know and requires experimenting. The only reason I recommended waffle weaves is because that's what the previous poster had on hand. In general your best best is to buy The Rag Company MFs & take care of them! but the question is which ones? That's where the preference comes in. You have a bunch of factors like weight, weave, and edge and some different price points for Korean vs Chinese. Personally I generally prefer Korean-made & edgeless - so if I had to make a recommendation it's be the Edgeless 350 or 365s for everything and/or when they have a deal for 20 towels. E.g., they just had 20 creatures on sale for $20 (?) so I picked those up just because. In general you want something with a thicker plush weave (e.g., circular knit) to wash off dirt & dry and then a thinner weave (like terry) to put on TWFW. You can also get dual pile weave towels like the Drago which have a plush side & a terry side so you can switch them. ANYway, lots of info, but to start I'd probably just get some edgeless 350s; they're easy to fold, work well, and you can't have too many. Over time you can try others to see if you like something better which is what I've done. I've tried pads & mitts & all of their towels and given all of that I usually still reach for the 350s (though pads are nice for the very bottom and the roof).


(4.) Turtle Wax Flex Wax! It's easier to apply than Seal-n-Shine but less chemical resistant. SnS is almost ceramic in its chemical resistance so it might be good for the front bumper, say, where you get a lot of bugs and maybe use PP more and/or citrol. TWFW is shinier/glossier to my eye and given I wash a lot I use it everywhere.

-------------------------
Final tips

* Carry around mixed McKees in a spray bottle & some MFs
Great for removing bird poo, bugs, sap, water spots or anything that you want to get off quick. Along with that, you can also carry a can of citrol that'll be your hardcore bug & tar remover, but it also will kill your TWFW or similar so you'll want to get some protectant back on when you get home or even carry that around too.

* Be mobile
All of this sounds like a lot, but it's really not once you do it a few times! So if you carry around a collapsible bucket, a hydroshot, and the stuff above you can basically fully wash & detail your car anywhere; but especially on road trips even in a hotel parking lot. Even just a Marolex loaded with McKees & some MFs is enough to handle just about every routine situation (heavy mud needs a power spray of course) ... the hydroshot is just be completely nuts. A dude in a hotel parking lot power washing his car? That's fucking nuts!

[GrussGott]

Originally Posted by 214ryan

Wash in one direction with waffle weaves
Take dry Pearl microfiber in 1/4 and spray with TWFW

Important update: The Rag Company has a valentines sale on a few really nice MFs for cheap - I just bought 24 Dragos for $24!

Even though Dragos are edged & chinese-made (Korean-made are a bit higher quality but not hugely so), given I can get so many for dirt cheap it's a good buy for me. The downside to edged MFs is they're hard to fold in 4ths and don't hold that shape well until they're pretty broken in. That's ok for me as I usually just fold them in half and use twice as many - it still means each one gets you 4 panels. For the X5 I usually call it 14 - 16 panels which means 4-5 for washing, 4-5 for drying, and 4-5 for protectant - then I have a few extra for various things, thus 24 dragos easily does the trick.

If you want to spend the $, then the Edgeless 500s in the sixy pack are a great deal too, $60 for 18 (saves $3 on shipping) or $20 for 6. 500 is a little more plush than I like for RWs but they're a higher quality towel with no edge so they're a bit easier to work with. Can't go wrong with either IMO. I love the 500s for dry interior quick dusting because you can be super light over the surface and pick up dust without scratching the plastics in the X5. Spiderwebbing on those plastics drives me nuts!

MF Care Tips:

(1.) Wash MFs before first use

(2.) Wash MFs correctly
No hot water! No fabric softener & only Rags-to-riches detergent, no dryer sheets & maybe no dryer at all or only on low or no heat, NEVER wash with anything other than other MF, wash really dirty rags (wheels & tires) separately. For really dirty rags soak them overnight first separately from not very dirty ones (I always have one set for wheels / tires only) in rags-to-riches solution.

(3.) Dry & Store them correctly
Make sure the dryer is de-linted first or line dry them (if you use high-spin on the washer they dry really fast). If you do use the dryer, air dry or low heat only. Store them in lint free, dust free place; ideally use a large clothes storage bag (only MFs of course) - that way you're sure when they come out they're max functionality to pick up dirt.

[1Mors]

Originally Posted by 4ML INC

Watched a few videos on Youtube about this particular coating and it's gotten great reviews. Pan The Organizer gave it the best non-pro graphene rating and has used it on his gf's car. There were few other reviews who gave it very good reviews and tested it after a few months and it seemed to hold up pretty good. So, just going by that.

As far as detailing the car - I was thinking - since it's a brand new car and it's mineral white - I will inspect the paint and if it really doesn't need polishing - I'll just skip clay-ing and polishing. I already told the dealership to not prep or wash it and since it's coming straight from factory - hopefully it won't have a lot of days sitting in the sun and rain.

Plan is - to wash the car (first rinse-less + then use foam gun + 2 bucket wash) + chemical decontamination with iron remover + paint prep spray + apply 2 coatings and leave the car in my garage for 48 hours.

Of course - if I find the paint needs to be polished - then your idea sounds like a good way to go about it. Practice and get it right before applying a long term coating. I do have a friend who does wax coating on his cars - maybe I'll get him to help me but kind of want to do it on my own.

Am I wrong to skip the clay-ing and polishing if the paint looks to be in great condition?

I have done a couple cars and I LOVE the Adams Graphene Advanced coating. 45% active ingredient instead of 30% with standard Graphene coating. It feels thinker but super smooth after leveling and micro fibre towel finish. I think it's a rock star coating.

I have done others including Ethos and they are also good.

[Tch-Nrd]

I just ordered Adam's Graphene Ceramic Coating Advanced and their graphene ceramic wheel coating as well, highly impressed with a friend's car.
Ended up going with Adam's graphene foaming shampoo and Adam's CS3 Graphene spray waterless wash for between washes as well.
Hell, I even got their graphene detail spray to help dry and add gloss/protection during drying procedure.
I purchased 12 microfiber mitts and will use one per panel.
Purchased Adam's pressure washer 2.0 (read good reviews here)
Purchased their Air Cannon for drying.
Spent more than I'm willing to admit on Microfiber towels.

GrussGott
Thanks for dropping the knowledge in all these threads!!
You're very helpful!!

[NCRob]

Originally Posted by Justinp1982

I just ordered Adam's Graphene Ceramic Coating Advanced and their graphene ceramic wheel coating as well, highly impressed with a friend's car.
Ended up going with Adam's graphene foaming shampoo and Adam's CS3 Graphene spray waterless wash for between washes as well.
Hell, I even got their graphene detail spray to help dry and add gloss/protection during drying procedure.
I purchased 12 microfiber mitts and will use one per panel.
Purchased Adam's pressure washer 2.0 (read good reviews here)
Purchased their Air Cannon for drying.
Spent more than I'm willing to admit on Microfiber towels.

GrussGott
Thanks for dropping the knowledge in all these threads!!
You're very helpful!!

Let us know how you like that air cannon please??

[Buckeye980]

I am going to be trying out the adams advanced graphene coating. Although, my x5 is done with the Kamakazi coating, i have a 23 lincoln aviator grand touring on order for the wife and was thinking of trying graphene for the water spotting benefit.

so im going to test it out on her fathers car. he has a 3 year old silver infiniti sedan that he leaves outside and never washes it. so im sure it needs plenty of work. going to do a full wash, polish and coat it. will see how it turns out.

[1Mors]

Originally Posted by Buckeye980

I am going to be trying out the adams advanced graphene coating. Although, my x5 is done with the Kamakazi coating, i have a 23 lincoln aviator grand touring on order for the wife and was thinking of trying graphene for the water spotting benefit.

so im going to test it out on her fathers car. he has a 3 year old silver infiniti sedan that he leaves outside and never washes it. so im sure it needs plenty of work. going to do a full wash, polish and coat it. will see how it turns out.

It's a good product. It rainbows instead of sweats as the trigger point of flashing.

Looks great when done. Get the advanced version.